Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that examines the interrelations between the nervous system and environment and includes perspectives from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Majors build a strong foundation in the sciences to explore core domains of neurobiology, physiological psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and computational neuroscience through classroom and laboratory experiences. Students then extend and apply their knowledge with neuroscience-related electives and course work that critically examines the theories and practices of neuroscience from ethical, sociocultural, and other humanistic perspectives. Students interested in declaring the major may take the introductory course in their first or second year.

The neuroscience major at Wartburg is an interdisciplinary major that exposes students to the intersection of biology and psychology and then encourages them to make links to other areas of interest. Neuroscience is a broad field, and students have the opportunity to focus on their own areas of interest through advanced research courses and diverse electives.

Neuroscience is the scientific community's effort to understand the mechanisms that give rise to thoughts, motives, and behavior. The study of the nervous system can be pursued from biological, biochemical and psycho- logical perspectives; as such, neuroscience is a thoroughly interdisciplinary endeavor that blurs the traditional barriers between such specialties. Neuroscientists investigate the connections between events that occur at the subcellular level (molecular genetics and molecular biology), the cellular level (electrophysiology, cell histology), the systems level (developmental biology, neurophysiology, functional anatomy) and the behavior of the whole organism (animal behavior, cognitive psychology). Addressing the fundamental questions of neuroscience thus requires the collaboration of specialists in diverse fields.

The Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience program offers a comprehensive education in the foundations of neuroscience, preparing you for an exciting and growing field that is having a tremendous impact in the world of research, biotechnology and medicine.

Not only do students work closely with their professors in a small, cohesive program, but they also take greater responsibility in their research. Seniors taking on research projects don't just handle a section of the research—they design, produce, and write-up their project from top to bottom in collaboration with a professor. And all students present their research; many go on to the Chicago Society for Neuroscience Meeting.

How do we think? How do we give expression to our thoughts? These are fundamental questions posed by linguists investigating the ways language might be organized in the mind, psychologists who study perception, computer scientists wishing to model intelligence, or curious individuals wondering about the nature of human cognition.